It is said that day 2 is the hardest. Hormones increase like grhelin, which signals hunger, and cortisol, which raises blood sugar to deal with stress.
From the chart I read in a blog, by Dr. Jason Fung, a Toronto nephrologist, Ghrelin and cortisol is highest in the morning of day 2. I certainly felt that this morning, but by 8 a.m. it seems to be passing.
I expect about three really strong waves throughout the day. But I've been learning a method for dealing with them over the last month. Don't fight it. Dial anxiety down to curiosity. Recognize that the hunger is a fact. Sit with it and notice what if feels like in every part of the body. Get specific with the notations. Sometimes I even time it.
Then, notice how it feels when it passes, which it always does. Than hunger doesn't last is also a fact. What I'm trying to do is make that more intuitive.
The brain adjusts. It pulls the energy it needs from stored fat. It's been built to do this, and it may even suffer if it never gets the chance to exercise this mechanism. There's a time to grow, and a time to decompose.
This is the theory behind fasting for health.
Later
Interesting article on how fasting can re-boot metabolism. Interesting in terms of my post-traumatic growth theme:
